Pix42 app icon
Fast desktop viewer
Version 1.4.0 — Completely free on Windows & macOS

One viewer for the files every other viewer fumbles.

Open ordinary photos, RAW, FITS, PSD, JPEG XL, AVIF, video, audio and archives in one fast desktop app. Rate, filter, favourite and review without hitting a paywall.

  • Keep browsing when a folder mixes camera RAW, phone formats, scientific images, clips, comics and compressed archives.
  • New in 1.4.0: favourites, star ratings, timeline view, editable EXIF date/time and smarter duplicate review.
  • Completely free public release: no account, no subscription, no feature gating between Windows and macOS builds.
Download Windows or macOS versions Explore what it does
RAW · PSD · FITS · JXL · AVIF
Digitally signed builds for Windows & macOS
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Pix42
Pix42 main application view
Favourites Star ratings Timeline view Frameless zen mode
Pix42 browser layout with filmstrip and metadata panel
Review large folders with favourites and ratings Jump back to important folders, rate shots from 0 to 5 stars and keep metadata close while you move fast.
Pix42 opening an AVIF image with specialist format support
Open specialist formats without detours RAW, PSD, FITS, JPEG XL, AVIF, OpenEXR and more, without paid codecs, plugins or extra tools.
Features

Built for the folders where ordinary viewers break down

Mixed formats. Huge files. Scientific images. Video clips. Archives. Cleanup work. Pix42 1.4.0 keeps that in one flow instead of bouncing you between three or four separate apps.

Format coverage

Opens the file types that usually trigger a workaround

HEIC without paid codec packs. JPEG XL and AVIF without opening a browser. PSD, FITS, RAW, OpenEXR and JPEG 2000 in the same viewer, with no plugin hunt.

  • Canon, Nikon, Sony, Fujifilm RAW support plus PSD compositing and FITS auto-stretch.
  • Built-in media playback for video and audio, so mixed folders stay in one app.
  • Animated GIF, WebP, APNG, AVIF, HEIC/HEIF and JPEG XL play back directly in the viewer.
RAW PSD FITS JPEG XL AVIF HEIC OpenEXR JPEG 2000
Pix42 opening scientific and high-resolution images in the light theme
Pix42 browsing a folder with ratings and metadata in the dark theme
Review workflow

Favourites, ratings and Timeline turn browsing into a real culling workflow

Pix42 1.4.0 adds the tools you actually use when a folder needs decisions, not just viewing: favourite folders, star ratings, rating filters and a full-window timeline grouped by capture day.

  • Favourite folders and photos get one-click access and stay synced when items are renamed, moved or deleted.
  • Rate images from 0 to 5 stars, then sort and filter by rating directly in the main browser.
  • Timeline view groups by capture day with quick-preview overlay, multi-selection and compare support.
Favourites Star ratings Rating filters Timeline view
Real work

Does the follow-up work too, instead of stopping at “view”

Pix42 is strongest when browsing turns into triage, cleanup or inspection. Version 1.4.0 makes that better with duplicate quality scores, file actions inside Duplicate Finder, editable capture timestamps and richer metadata handling.

  • Duplicate Finder now highlights the best file to keep and lets you trash, copy or move files without leaving the comparison view.
  • Edit EXIF capture date/time directly and read XMP / IPTC fields such as title, keywords, creator and copyright.
  • Inline rename, folder management, range selection, archive browsing and always-visible search stay in the same workflow.
Duplicate finder Quality scores Metadata editing XMP / IPTC
Pix42 duplicate finder and side-by-side compare workflow

Also built in

Everything below matters in daily use, but it should support the main story, not drown it.

Archive browsing ZIP, RAR, CBZ, CBR and 7-Zip archives open like folders, so comic books and packed shoots stay browsable.
Favourite shortcuts Pin folders and photos you return to often, then reopen them from dedicated toolbar menus in one click.
Search and rating filters Filter thumbnails instantly from the filmstrip and combine that with rating filters when you are narrowing a large shoot.
Trackpad-first zoom Pinch to zoom and pan smoothly on laptops instead of fighting old mouse-wheel-only behavior.
Print and contact sheets Print single images or grids with preview, headers, footers and filename labels directly from the app.
Frameless Zen Mode Jump into image detail with the minimap, then remove the title bar entirely for a cleaner borderless view.
Format support

Handles virtually any file you throw at it

From everyday JPEGs to specialist scientific and professional formats.

Static images

JPEG PNG BMP TIFF WebP ICO GIF PSD FITS SVG / SVGZ HEIC / HEIF AVIF JPEG XL OpenEXR JPEG 2000 JPEG XR

RAW camera

CR2 / CR3 NEF / NRW ARW / SRF RAF ORF RW2 DNG 3FR PEF + more

Video

MP4 AVI MOV MKV WMV WebM FLV MPEG

Audio

MP3 WAV FLAC AAC OGG M4A OPUS
Next-generation formats

Opens the files your
other viewer refuses

Most image viewers are frozen in 2012. Pix42 supports the formats being used today — and the ones that will define tomorrow. No codec packs, no subscriptions, no registry hacks.

JPEG XL
The successor to JPEG nobody told you about Better compression than JPEG and PNG combined, lossless mode, HDR, wide gamut. Native support, no browser workaround needed.
AVIF
AV1-based, next-gen quality at half the file size Increasingly common on the web and from modern cameras and phones. Pix42 opens them natively — no browser required.
HEIC / HEIF
Every iPhone photo since 2017 is a HEIC Windows can't open them without paying for a codec pack. Pix42 opens them for free, with full EXIF metadata.
OpenEXR · JPEG 2000
Professional and scientific imaging formats OpenEXR for VFX and HDR pipelines. JPEG 2000 for archival and medical imaging. Both open natively — no plugins, no converters.
RAW · PSD · FITS
Professional & scientific formats, no paywall Canon, Nikon, Sony, Fujifilm RAW files. Photoshop PSD with layer compositing. FITS for astronomy with auto-stretch. All free.
Pix42 viewing detailed astronomy imagery in the light theme
Keyboard shortcuts

Navigate at the speed of thought

Full keyboard control — no mouse required.

Previous / Next ← →
Fit to window F
Actual size (1:1) 1
Zoom in / out + = −
Stretch small images S
Compare two selected images Ctrl+⇧+C
Find duplicates Ctrl+⇧+D
Crop C
Adjust / Auto Adjust A ⇧+A
Rotate / Flip / Resize R L Z
Rename selected file or folder F2
Select all visible files Ctrl+A
Copy selected thumbnail Ctrl+C
Focus search Ctrl+F
Toggle metadata panel Ctrl+I
Timeline view Ctrl+T
Slideshow F5
Zen mode (image only) Tab
Fullscreen F11
Exit current mode Esc
Play / Pause media Space
Move to Trash Delete
Open file Ctrl+O
Open folder Ctrl+⇧+O
Print Ctrl+P
Settings Ctrl+,
Quit Ctrl+Q
Release history

What's new

Every release, every fix — nothing hidden.

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Ready to try it?

Free for Windows & macOS. No account, no subscription, no nonsense.

Download Version 1.4.0  ·  Completely free Windows • macOS Digitally signed — safe to install
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